


We Meet Again

by mbav54



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: AU, M/M, Older Characters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-29
Updated: 2016-04-10
Packaged: 2018-03-20 04:59:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3637641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mbav54/pseuds/mbav54
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hazel drops off Nico at a gay bar a few days after his 21st birthday. When he sees Percy Jackson there, his old crush and best friend, with another guy, he knows he has no chance anymore. But then Will appears with an offer to be his fake boyfriend, which makes Percy notice him. As he gets closer to Will, he can't deny that he has feelings for him, but he wants Percy yet doesn't have the heart to hurt Will.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Gay Bar

**Author's Note:**

> I am back now with another story, this time Percico. I have been dying to write this ship! Anyway, because I don't want to pressure myself too much stories all at once, so I'm only doing 3 at a time. I would do 1 at a time because I'm so busy and all, but what's the fun in that?
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy this AU story!

_Buzzz! Buzzz!_

Nico's eyes fluttered opened. Once he realized that his phone was buzzing, he started to swear. He should've put his phone on silent. With struggles and hatred, he forced himself to sit up. At first, he was a bit dizzy, but he soon started to focus on what was around him. It was a good thing he didn't drink more or else he would've woken up with a hangover. He was a pretty lightweight since this was his first time drinking. He really didn't want to do this.

_Buzzz!_

He took his phone with an impatient sigh and looked at what was causing all this. A text message from Percy. When he got his new number, he never bothered to delete his contacts, so Percy's name was still in his phone.

 _Rise n shine, Ghost King!_ His old nickname. Oh, the joy of seeing it again. He rolled his eyes.

 _Hey, about the double date, would Sat @ Sale E Pepe 5 be fine with u and Will?_ He hated how Percy tended to write properly then lazily in his texts, but he guessed he loved how random he'd get. And he also loved how Percy wanted them to go to an Italian restaurant.

 _Clo n I wanted it to be a bit early._ Clo. So Clovis had a nickname, too? Nico couldn't help the jealousy. Sure Percy gave him multiple nicknames, but he couldn't just not feel jealous. He and Percy weren't close anymore.

At least Will was there to help him with this. Speaking of Will, he had to ask him about the timing. It was fine with _him_ since Saturday was two days from now, and two days from now he was free.

Quickly, Nico texted him back with: **_I'll have to ask Will._**

It was six in the morning, so that meant he had a few minutes to get dressed up, and then thirty to meet his dad at work. He still wasn't working, but his father wanted him to check out if he wanted the job or not.

* * *

Checking out his dad's workplace was hell. The place was fine. It was just that his dad was making things difficult. He took off his tie and put it down on his coffee table, breathing in what felt like forever.

He could use some ice cream to chill a bit. Literally. Thinking of ice cream led to Will, which led to remembering to call him.

He got his phone out and called Will's number.

" _Hello?_ " Will's voice said through the phone.

"Hey, Will!" Nico said.

" _Nico!_ " Will exclaimed. " _What's my pretend boyfriend calling for?_ "

"It's about the double date," Nico said. "Is Saturday at five fine with you?"

" _Saturday? I think I can unless- oh, no that's on Sunday. Yeah, I can come_ ," he said. He always seemed so happy when he talked. How could he do that? Nico always sounded so dark and gloomy.

"Cool. See you then, I guess," Nico said.

" _Yeah. See you_ ," he said.

Then they hung up. That was the time when Hazel popped inside the apartment. "Oh, my gosh. Hey, Nico! You okay? Did you find some guys at the bar?"

Nico laughed and patted the empty spot next to him. She sat down by him and gave him a concerned yet happy smile.

"Sorry I couldn't catch you this morning. Overslept," she said.

"It's alright," he said. "Actually, I met some guys. Two." He paused. "Will and Percy."

"Will and Percy?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. "As in Solace and Jackson?"

He nodded. "Yep."

"Percy's gay?" Hazel asked, tilting her head a bit. "Huh."

"And I'm going on a double date tomorrow," he said.

Hazel put her hands on his shoulders. "Wait, you're not dating both secretly at the same time, are you?"

"What?" he asked. "No! I'm fake-dating Will. And Percy's going out with… Clovis."

"Oh," Hazel said. "That must suck."

He nodded. Oh, well. At least there was progress. He'd see him soon.

* * *

Nico smiled at Will as he got into his car. The day of the date had come soon, and Nico was getting nervous.

"Hey," Nico said.

Will smiled like he usually did and greeted him back. But what surprised Nico was that Will kissed his cheek. Nico stared at him with disbelief.

"What are you doing?" he asked, enraged.

Wil shrugged casually. "Gotta stay in character. Might as well practice from now." He sent a wink in his way and started driving. Was he hitting on him>

Nico groaned and crossed his arms. "You're annoying," he said.

Will's grin never disappeared. It stayed there, showing him how Will was never affected by his words.

The rest of the ride, despite Nico's anger at the beginning, was spent with a lot of chatting and catching up on each other's lives. It was nice, talking to Will again. He wanted the moment to last longer, but it had to end when Will parked the car in front of the restaurant.

They got out of the car, holding hands for if Clovis and Percy were watching. When they entered, they found their friends, if Nico could call them that, sitting on a table. Clovis had his head on Percy's shoulder, feigning sleep. Percy shoved his head away, laughing. Gosh, he wished he was in Clovis's place.

Percy's eyes brightened at the sight of them. He waved and motioned for them to come. His grin was even bigger than Will's previous one, if that was possible. Nico was happy but he didn't show it. He just sat down on the table with a neutral expression on his face.

"Hey, Nico!" Percy exclaimed. He seemed to forget about Will, but he remembered he was also there, so he said. "And Will." He returned back to focusing on Nico. "Nice hanging out with you again."

Nico nodded, now showing a slight smile. He couldn't really pretend to be hating this. Percy was actually giving Nico a lot of attention. "You too."

Will nor Clovis spoke a word since Nico and his date sat down. There seemed to be a bit of tension in the air, but Percy appeared to be ignoring it. Nico tried to, but Will seemed really bothered.

A waiter came with menus and an obviously fake smile. He gave off the menus silently before walking away. Percy smiled excitedly at the menu in front of him and started pointing at the food they had as Clovis nodded and suggested a few things.

Yes, Nico was jealous. He didn’t like seeing his old crush and best friend with another guy. Call him selfish. He turned to see Will. Maybe he had low expectations for this date, but he didn’t expect Will to look so hurt. He _was_ here with Nico to make Percy jealous. So far, it wasn’t working. He half-heartedly chose something to eat.

When the waiter came back, Nico felt just as fake as he did, smiling with such effort.

“So,” Percy said when the waiter was gone. “Still the same old, dark Nico, huh?”

Nico wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing. But since there wasn’t any disappointment on Percy’s face, he guessed it was good. “Mhm.”

Percy’s lips moved to the side and his eyebrows curiously knitted. “You’re still not mad at me for Bianca, right?” he asked.

Nico’s eyes widened. That was what he thought? That this was why he stayed like this? He shook his head frantically. “No. I swear I’m not. Just a lifestyle, you know?”

Percy nodded. “Oh. I get it now.” He took a sip of his water. “Are you working?”

Nico shook his head. “Just graduated from college. I need to breathe a bit before I start to do anything. Why, are you working?”

Percy nodded proudly. He was still the happy achiever that Nico used to know years ago. “Fish biologist. That’s literally what my position is.”

Nico resisted a chuckle. It was supposed to be a proud one, but he never was open out on public. “That’s good.”

The attention was on Will now when Percy said, “What about you, Will?”

“Um,” Will said, a bit surprised at the question. “I just started working as a doctor.”

“Really? That’s impressive.” Percy smiled. “I remember at school whenever anyone got hurt, you’d immediately send them to the nurse. Sometimes, you’d help her.”

Will nodded, looking at the window and smiling. “Good times, those were.”

Nico leaned forward to have a good look at Will. “Didn’t realize I’m sitting beside Yoda.”

Will looked down as he covered his mouth, obviously hiding his laugh judging by his shaking shoulder and smiling lips.

The waiter came in with the appetizers and Percy couldn’t be happier. “Something to eat,” he said with such joy.

* * *

“And then he said: I’d take that with a side of French fries.” Everyone in the table erupted in laughter at Percy’s story. And at once, they all ended up sighing in unison, which again made everyone laugh.

Nico was having such a good time even though he didn’t have Percy with him and his plan didn’t even seem to be working, but it was alright. Percy was here and that was all that mattered. And Percy was funny as hell. He almost forgot about those jokes he used to tell. Years of being friends with him made him realize how smart Percy actually was, and that he was cracking stupid jokes on purpose.

A phone rang and Clovis reached in to his clothes to get the phone and everyone fell silent, sipping their cups of water. “Hello?” Pause. “But Dad! You didn’t tell me she’s coming today! Ugh. Fine. I’ll do it, but you owe me. You’re just on your ass sleeping, old man. Whatever. Bye.” He looked at the group of friends and said, “Sorry, guys. I have to leave. My sister is in the airport and I didn’t know she was coming today.” He kissed Percy’s cheek and got up – though Nico kept sending Clovis glares. “Bye.” He got up from the table and hurried to the door.

Percy stared at the door, a bit disappointed. “That was … random.”

Will nodded. But then _his_ phone rang and he sighed. But when he looked at the screen, he seemed worried. “Head surgeon,” he muttered. He put the phone to his ear and said, “Hey. What’s wrong? What? Oh, come on! Not now! Alright. Alright. Coming.” He closed the phone. “Emergency in the hospital. They need me.” He looked at Nico apologetically. “Sorry. I’ll make it up to you.” He got up and waved at them, hurrying out just as Clovis did.

Despite their dates leaving, Percy was still smiling. “I guess it’s just you and me now. I mean, unless we both get urgent calls.”

Nico laughed, wiping his eyes. “I hope not.” He looked down at his half-finished food, smiling at it. The guy was so pleasant and nice even after what happened four years ago. “You know, I miss you.”

He looked up at Percy, who dropped his smile but also looked sincere. “I miss you, too.” Nico might have been mistaken, but he saw hurt in his eyes. That was gone in less than a second.

Nico started playing with his food, cutting it and moving his food left and right. He was feeling uncomfortable. He didn’t have the heart to talk with Percy but he looked up anyway and opened his mouth to speak.

“It’s not your fault,” Percy interrupted. He seemed too insistent on the answer.

Nico shook his head. Percy was so wrong. “It _is_ my fault. We stopped being friends because of me.”

Percy reached across the table to reach for Nico’s hand. “Don’t ever blame yourself.” His eyes showed seriousness and for a second, Nico believed him. But just when that second was over, Nico went back to believing he was at fault.

“I should leave,” Nico said. “This is getting us nowhere.”

Percy opened his mouth to protest, but Nico put some money on the table. “Bye, Percy. Hope I see you again.”


	2. The Date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update, guys! I'm busy with a wedding and I hate myself for neglecting my fanfics. But I will try. I swear. :(
> 
> Enjoy the chapter!

_Buzzz! Buzzz!_

Nico's eyes fluttered opened. Once he realized that his phone was buzzing, he started to swear. He should've put his phone on silent. With struggles and hatred, he forced himself to sit up. At first, he was a bit dizzy, but he soon started to focus on what was around him. It was a good thing he didn't drink more or else he would've woken up with a hangover. He was a pretty lightweight since this was his first time drinking. He really didn't want to do this.

_Buzzz!_

He took his phone with an impatient sigh and looked at what was causing all this. A text message from Percy. When he got his new number, he never bothered to delete his contacts, so Percy's name was still in his phone.

 _Rise n shine, Ghost King!_ His old nickname. Oh, the joy of seeing it again. He rolled his eyes.

 _Hey, about the double date, would Sat @ Sale E Pepe 5 be fine with u and Will?_ He hated how Percy tended to write properly then lazily in his texts, but he guessed he loved how random he'd get. And he also loved how Percy wanted them to go to an Italian restaurant.

 _Clo n I wanted it to be a bit early._ Clo. So Clovis had a nickname, too? Nico couldn't help the jealousy. Sure Percy gave him multiple nicknames, but he couldn't just not feel jealous. He and Percy weren't close anymore.

At least Will was there to help him with this. Speaking of Will, he had to ask him about the timing. It was fine with _him_ since Saturday was two days from now, and two days from now he was free.

Quickly, Nico texted him back with: **_I'll have to ask Will._**

It was six in the morning, so that meant he had a few minutes to get dressed up, and then thirty to meet his dad at work. He still wasn't working, but his father wanted him to check out if he wanted the job or not.

* * *

Checking out his dad's workplace was hell. The place was fine. It was just that his dad was making things difficult. He took off his tie and put it down on his coffee table, breathing in what felt like forever.

He could use some ice cream to chill a bit. Literally. Thinking of ice cream led to Will, which led to remembering to call him.

He got his phone out and called Will's number.

" _Hello?_ " Will's voice said through the phone.

"Hey, Will!" Nico said.

" _Nico!_ " Will exclaimed. " _What's my pretend boyfriend calling for?_ "

"It's about the double date," Nico said. "Is Saturday at five fine with you?"

" _Saturday? I think I can unless- oh, no that's on Sunday. Yeah, I can come_ ," he said. He always seemed so happy when he talked. How could he do that? Nico always sounded so dark and gloomy.

"Cool. See you then, I guess," Nico said.

" _Yeah. See you_ ," he said.

Then they hung up. That was the time when Hazel popped inside the apartment. "Oh, my gosh. Hey, Nico! You okay? Did you find some guys at the bar?"

Nico laughed and patted the empty spot next to him. She sat down by him and gave him a concerned yet happy smile.

"Sorry I couldn't catch you this morning. Overslept," she said.

"It's alright," he said. "Actually, I met some guys. Two." He paused. "Will and Percy."

"Will and Percy?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. "As in Solace and Jackson?"

He nodded. "Yep."

"Percy's gay?" Hazel asked, tilting her head a bit. "Huh."

"And I'm going on a double date tomorrow," he said.

Hazel put her hands on his shoulders. "Wait, you're not dating both secretly at the same time, are you?"

"What?" he asked. "No! I'm fake-dating Will. And Percy's going out with… Clovis."

"Oh," Hazel said. "That must suck."

He nodded. Oh, well. At least there was progress. He'd see him soon.

* * *

Nico smiled at Will as he got into his car. The day of the date had come soon, and Nico was getting nervous.

"Hey," Nico said.

Will smiled like he usually did and greeted him back. But what surprised Nico was that Will kissed his cheek. Nico stared at him with disbelief.

"What are you doing?" he asked, enraged.

Will shrugged casually. "Gotta stay in character. Might as well practice from now." He sent a wink in his way and started driving. Was he hitting on him>

Nico groaned and crossed his arms. "You're annoying," he said.

Will's grin never disappeared. It stayed there, showing him how Will was never affected by his words.

The rest of the ride, despite Nico's anger at the beginning, was spent with a lot of chatting and catching up on each other's lives. It was nice, talking to Will again. He wanted the moment to last longer, but it had to end when Will parked the car in front of the restaurant.

They got out of the car, holding hands for if Clovis and Percy were watching. When they entered, they found their friends, if Nico could call them that, sitting on a table. Clovis had his head on Percy's shoulder, feigning sleep. Percy shoved his head away, laughing. Gosh, he wished he was in Clovis's place.

Percy's eyes brightened at the sight of them. He waved and motioned for them to come. His grin was even bigger than Will's previous one, if that was possible. Nico was happy but he didn't show it. He just sat down on the table with a neutral expression on his face.

"Hey, Nico!" Percy exclaimed. He seemed to forget about Will, but he remembered he was also there, so he said. "And Will." He returned back to focusing on Nico. "Nice hanging out with you again."

Nico nodded, now showing a slight smile. He couldn't really pretend to be hating this. Percy was actually giving Nico a lot of attention. "You too."

Will nor Clovis spoke a word since Nico and his date sat down. There seemed to be a bit of tension in the air, but Percy appeared to be ignoring it. Nico tried to, but Will seemed really bothered.

A waiter came with menus and an obviously fake smile. He gave off the menus silently before walking away. Percy smiled excitedly at the menu in front of him and started pointing at the food they had as Clovis nodded and suggested a few things.

Yes, Nico was jealous. He didn’t like seeing his old crush and best friend with another guy. Call him selfish. He turned to see Will. Maybe he had low expectations for this date, but he didn’t expect Will to look so hurt. He _was_ here with Nico to make Percy jealous. So far, it wasn’t working. He half-heartedly chose something to eat.

When the waiter came back, Nico felt just as fake as he did, smiling with such effort.

“So,” Percy said when the waiter was gone. “Still the same old, dark Nico, huh?”

Nico wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing. But since there wasn’t any disappointment on Percy’s face, he guessed it was good. “Mhm.”

Percy’s lips moved to the side and his eyebrows curiously knitted. “You’re still not mad at me for Bianca, right?” he asked.

Nico’s eyes widened. That was what he thought? That this was why he stayed like this? He shook his head frantically. “No. I swear I’m not. Just a lifestyle, you know?”

Percy nodded. “Oh. I get it now.” He took a sip of his water. “Are you working?”

Nico shook his head. “Just graduated from college. I need to breathe a bit before I start to do anything. Why, are you working?”

Percy nodded proudly. He was still the happy achiever that Nico used to know years ago. “Fish biologist. That’s literally what my position is.”

Nico resisted a chuckle. It was supposed to be a proud one, but he never was open out on public. “That’s good.”

The attention was on Will now when Percy said, “What about you, Will?”

“Um,” Will said, a bit surprised at the question. “I just started working as a doctor.”

“Really? That’s impressive.” Percy smiled. “I remember at school whenever anyone got hurt, you’d immediately send them to the nurse. Sometimes, you’d help her.”

Will nodded, looking at the window and smiling. “Good times, those were.”

Nico leaned forward to have a good look at Will. “Didn’t realize I’m sitting beside Yoda.”

Will looked down as he covered his mouth, obviously hiding his laugh judging by his shaking shoulder and smiling lips.

The waiter came in with the appetizers and Percy couldn’t be happier. “Something to eat,” he said with such joy.

* * *

“And then he said: I’d take that with a side of French fries.” Everyone in the table erupted in laughter at Percy’s story. And at once, they all ended up sighing in unison, which again made everyone laugh.

Nico was having such a good time even though he didn’t have Percy with him and his plan didn’t even seem to be working, but it was alright. Percy was here and that was all that mattered. And Percy was funny as hell. He almost forgot about those jokes he used to tell. Years of being friends with him made him realize how smart Percy actually was, and that he was cracking stupid jokes on purpose.

A phone rang and Clovis reached in to his clothes to get the phone and everyone fell silent, sipping their cups of water. “Hello?” Pause. “But Dad! You didn’t tell me she’s coming today! Ugh. Fine. I’ll do it, but you owe me. You’re just on your ass sleeping, old man. Whatever. Bye.” He looked at the group of friends and said, “Sorry, guys. I have to leave. My sister is in the airport and I didn’t know she was coming today.” He kissed Percy’s cheek and got up – though Nico kept sending Clovis glares. “Bye.” He got up from the table and hurried to the door.

Percy stared at the door, a bit disappointed. “That was … random.”

Will nodded. But then _his_ phone rang and he sighed. But when he looked at the screen, he seemed worried. “Head surgeon,” he muttered. He put the phone to his ear and said, “Hey. What’s wrong? What? Oh, come on! Not now! Alright. Alright. Coming.” He closed the phone. “Emergency in the hospital. They need me.” He looked at Nico apologetically. “Sorry. I’ll make it up to you.” He got up and waved at them, hurrying out just as Clovis did.

Despite their dates leaving, Percy was still smiling. “I guess it’s just you and me now. I mean, unless we both get urgent calls.”

Nico laughed, wiping his eyes. “I hope not.” He looked down at his half-finished food, smiling at it. The guy was so pleasant and nice even after what happened four years ago. “You know, I miss you.”

He looked up at Percy, who dropped his smile but also looked sincere. “I miss you, too.” Nico might have been mistaken, but he saw hurt in his eyes. That was gone in less than a second.

Nico started playing with his food, cutting it and moving his food left and right. He was feeling uncomfortable. He didn’t have the heart to talk with Percy but he looked up anyway and opened his mouth to speak.

“It’s not your fault,” Percy interrupted. He seemed too insistent on the answer.

Nico shook his head. Percy was so wrong. “It _is_ my fault. We stopped being friends because of me.”

Percy reached across the table to reach for Nico’s hand. “Don’t ever blame yourself.” His eyes showed seriousness and for a second, Nico believed him. But just when that second was over, Nico went back to believing he was at fault.

“I should leave,” Nico said. “This is getting us nowhere.”

Percy opened his mouth to protest, but Nico put some money on the table. “Bye, Percy. Hope I see you again.”


	3. A Night with Percy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just so you won’t be surprised or disappointed, this story won’t be as long as my other stories. It’s rather short compared to my other ideas. But I do enjoy this story a lot. Now I shall not stall and I shall write! Let’s do this!

Nico was not disappointed when he returned home that night. Sure, he may have ruined the “dates” by leaving with no explanation, but he did see how Percy was giving Nico attention. Did he really still miss Nico? He wouldn’t lie to him so easily. The guy was a sweetheart. He had to be telling the truth. But yet again, he could have become a liar those past years. He couldn’t depend on any previous knowledge. Still, he was optimistic. He didn’t think anyone would remember Nico di Angelo, the guy brooding in the corner, but apparently, Percy did. That gave him hope. Lots of it.

That was why he fell on the couch dramatically beside Hazel and sighed. “Hey, Hazel.”

She muted the TV and smiled at him. “Hey, Nico! How’d the date go? Awful? Good? Any juicy stuff happened?” Her eyes seemed to brighten and sparkle by the second.

“It was alright,” he said, chuckling. “Clovis was hogging Percy, but Percy was acting so nice towards me.”

She nodded as if understanding. “Ah. Well, I’m glad you’re spending time with Percy. Better than to stay alone at home.” He knew he was that pathetic, but he didn’t like the fact being pointed out.

“I’m not alone!” he denied. “Besides, I have you.”

Her smile widened, and if he said that wasn’t the most beautiful thing Nico saw today, he’d be lying. He found Percy beautiful as well, but seeing him with Clovis ruined the image. Also, Hazel was the thing that kept him stable and happy those past few years. “Thanks,” she muttered and looked back at the silent TV. She didn’t do well with compliments because she rarely believed in what people say about her, but she really should.

Nico’s phone buzzed again and he looked at it. Another text from Percy. _R u mad @ me?_ Nico sighed. How could he be mad at Percy when he didn’t do anything wrong?

**_No. Just overreacted. Sorry. :(_ **

Then Percy sent a smiley face and Nico felt slightly better. The smile, despite it being just a text, seemed genuine. Well, he hoped it was or else he’d be disappointed. Just when he was going to depress himself, he found Percy sending another text, saying, _Wanna hang out @ my house w/ will?_

Nico laughed at his way of typing again, but covered his mouth when Hazel stared at him weirdly. **_Sure! When?_**

_Tomorrow? If dats alrite? Dinner?_

**_I will come if you stop typing like that._ **

_Great! See you then! *throws fist up*_

Nico smiled at the text in front of him. Percy really was something. He wanted to cry because of that. He was so great. Why did Nico leave him? Why was he not good enough for him? But he stopped those thoughts. He was strong now. Stronger than before. He could hold himself.

“Is it Percy?” Hazel asked, trying to have a look. He pushed her away and nodded. There was no hiding. “What does he want?”

Nico looked at her, hiding a smile. “To hang out.”

Hazel nudged him. “Look at him go!”

Nico bit his lip and turned his attention to the TV. “Shut up,” he muttered. “It’s platonic.”

“So far,” she said teased.

Nico got up. “You’re just embarrassing me.” He went to his room, but on his way, he heard his sister laughing. Damn, that was awkward.

* * *

Nico that day had called Will and asked if he was coming that night. He was filled with relief when Will said that he was. And of course, Hazel teased him the whole time, saying that he had two guys asking him on dates. And to be honest, he didn’t mind all of that as long as he got to see his childhood friends. They were so dear to him even when he had befriended new, awesome people in college. He had never forgotten about them and he didn’t think he ever would.

So the next day, Nico had gotten prepared. He picked up his casual clothes, which consisted of a dark brown shirt and black pants. He wasn’t really much for clothes. The most fancy thing he had was a black dress shirt with a red tie. He checked himself in the mirror. He guessed he looked good. Despite his always tired eyes, he found that he looked better than he had in his previous years even though he felt sadder and weaker. Losing his best friend took too much of his enthusiasm and happiness. He sighed into the mirror, which created a fog-like thing on it. He rubbed it with his previous shirt and then stepped back.

He took out his phone to double-check with Will. The first time, no one picked up. Weird. Second time, nothing either. This was too strange. Why wasn’t Will picking up? He always picked up after maximum 3 rings. Was he alright? He was starting to worry about Will. He called again, and this time, he picked up. “Hello? Will? Are you okay?”

 _Achoo!_ It seemed that he wasn’t. That sneeze was too loud and monstrous to be 'alright'. “ _Sorry, Nico!”_ Judging by his voice and the outing of the letters, Will was truly sick. “ _Got the flu from a patient. Wasn’t careful._ ” _Achoo!_ “ _Can’t come._ ” There was effort when he got his words out, like he was forcing himself to say those sentences.

“Oh,” Nico said. “It’s alright.” He tried to hide the disappointment in his voice. “Well, I have to go and hang out with Percy. He was really excited about this. But maybe we two can hang out later?” he suggested.

“ _Sure. Go have fun_ ,” Will said. _Achoo!_ “ _Bye!_ ”

“Bye,” Nico said, laughing. He closed the phone and pocketed it. So he was going there solo. He hoped that Clovis wasn’t coming as well. It would be awkward.

* * *

As it turned out, Clovis was actually there, but he was asleep on the couch. Once he stepped into the room, he noticed Percy going back to the sleeping Clovis and carrying him to a room. Percy carefully came back outside, closing the door. Nico would have commented on how strange it was to sleep when someone was invited, but knowing Clovis, this was normal for him.

“Sorry,” Percy let out. “He’s always sleepy.” He gave Nico one of his famous smiles. Nico wanted to melt at that look, but he held himself up. How could Percy still do this to Nico? It had been years since they’ve seen each other, for crying out loud. Yet again, those years made Nico miss Percy and want him to still be his friend. But that smile quickly disappeared when Percy looked at Nico with knitted eyebrows and a slightly opened mouth. “You’re alone.”

Oh, yeah. He didn’t tell him about Will yet. “Yeah. Will’s sick and he couldn’t come.”

Percy nodded, but he didn’t seem to mind. Actually, he seemed happy that Nico was there. “That’s alright.” He came closer to Nico and nudged him. “Hey, Mr. Italian Chef, care to help me with the food?”

Nico smiled at Percy. The guy knew Nico’s weak point was cooking. He had always liked to cook ever since his mother has shown him how to do it. It soon grew to be more of an obsession, and he even started to get his mother some recipes so they can both try them out. Though when she died, cooking was never as fun. But Bianca did cook with him a few times to keep the newly-found tradition of the di Angelo family alive. But she also died, leaving him alone and sad, not even stepping into the kitchen. But once upon a time, Percy Jackson, his hero, came to the rescue one day to Nico’s home with an empty stomach. He made Nico make for him some lasagna just to see how good he really was. And so Nico had continued cooking from that day and it became a passion of his.

Nico nodded at Percy’s suggestion. Percy grinned widely and took Nico’s hand, hurrying into the kitchen.

The first thing Percy did was go to a pot and look at its contents. Nico took his chance to look as well. Inside, he could see a red liquid. Must be tomato sauce since it smelled like it. Percy took out a wooden spoon from a drawer and got a bit of the sauce on it. He extended it towards Nico and asked, “Try it for me?”

Nico looked at Percy who gave him a hopeful stare. “Fine.” He couldn’t not give in easily. So he took the spoon from Percy’s hand and tried it out. It tasted alright. But it needed some adjustments. “Needs salt.” Percy nodded and this time took out some salt just like Nico had said. He put a bit on the sauce, mixed a bit, and then gave Nico to try again. This time, Nico nodded. “It’s good.” He gave off one of his smiles. “You’re getting better at cooking, I see.”

Putting down the spoon, Percy chuckled. “Well, thank you, Mr. Italian Chef.”

Nico rolled his eyes. “Anyway, what’s next, Airhead?”

He didn’t seem like he minded the nickname because he moved on to the next dish, which was spaghetti. He let Nico help him arrange the spaghetti in the two dishes and then pour the tomato sauce on top of it. They both exited the kitchen then with plates of spaghetti and sauce, and a can of soda. Overall, this was a great time. They switched on the TV and started watching whatever came up and they commented on the show’s stupidity and inaccuracy until they had enough.

And when it was silent, it was the nice kind of silent. The kind that you know everything’s alright in. But suddenly, Percy broke the silence, and what he said made Nico stop eating for a second. “You know, I’m really glad you’re here. I … I really wanted to see you, make sure everything alright between us.”

Nico looked at him and nodded, uttering out a simple, “Mhm.” He didn’t feel like saying anything at the moment. He was glad that Percy wanted to see him. He was glad that he got to spent time with him. But he wasn’t glad that Percy wouldn’t feel the same romantic feeling as Nico did. He was always so oblivious towards Nico’s feelings. He wasn’t stupid. He was smart. But with Nico, he couldn’t get a hint.

Thankfully, Percy started talking cheerfully, and Nico felt he could speak now. And right now, he wanted to cherish those little moments in his life with Percy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was in no mood to type this chapter out and I kept taking breaks. But hey! Promise the next chapter will be better. 
> 
> -mbav54


	4. Drunk Night

Nico sighed and he exited the car again. No, he was not doing this. He was not. He couldn’t believe he actually drove himself to the club again. It was the one place he hated. It was the place he had seen Percy with Clovis in. It was the place he had seen Percy in since forever. He hated himself for doing this. But he didn’t want to drive away just yet. He didn’t want to retract so quickly. He was still in the parking lot at the back of the building, but he might as well have entered already. Besides, he came here to be irresponsible for a few hours. To forget about the guy who could never love him back. To forget about the friendship he knew he had ruined. Percy must be really despising him from the inside.

That was why he was doing this. He was filling his head with negative thoughts about Percy and this wasn’t healthy. He needed to go wild, or at least happy, for a bit.

With tentative steps, Nico forced himself to go to the front of the club, his feet already feeling like they were iron, pushing him to the ground and making the walk harder by the second. But he didn’t let his mental struggle show. He couldn’t anymore. He might have been a pathetic loser as a teenager, but he no longer wanted to show the weak version of himself. He wanted to appear tough. Not necessarily scary, but someone who was respected. Though it would be hard to take him seriously because of his baby face and shortness. Still, he didn’t let that get in the way.

So he continued his walk. It might have been hard, but he made it. Now he was at the front of the building, facing the club. He took out his ID from his pockets and showed it to the security guard, which seemed to be a different person today. The guard seemed as hesitant as the last one since Nico must have appeared to be an eighteen year old with a fake ID, but he was given permission to enter.

As he walked over to the bar, he found himself looking around, trying to catch a guy who appealed to him. Most of them were dancing, and the others were either kissing someone, or even drunk flirting. He didn’t know how he’d end up as, really. Or who he’d be with at the end of the night. As if he cared. He needed to let loose for once. So he got himself a few drinks, and started off with some shots. Being an extreme lightweight, he felt tipsy after a bit, and looked around.

He spotted a muscular blond coming over to get a drink. He didn’t think he’d do it, but he went over to him and started flirting. What surprised him the most was him smiling at Nico and accepting the offer to dance. That was how the rest of the time went by. He danced with hot guys, drank a bit more, kissed someone, and well, the rest of the night he couldn’t remember very well except for blurs in his memory.

But he did remember how he ended leaving the place. He was too drunk to drive, anyway, and he could’ve gotten a cab. But that didn’t happen because he didn’t want to go home in the first place. What happened was Percy. He had spotted him sadly sitting in the bar, staring at his drink. A cutie like that shouldn’t frown, he thought.

He walked away from the guy he was with, not even bothering to explain the situation. When he was close to Percy, who still hadn’t noticed him yet, he put his fingers on the corner of Percy’s lips, which resulted in Percy being startled, and spilling the rest of the liquid in his hand, but Nico still didn’t care and turned the corners of his lip up. “Better.” He giggled. But when he let go, Percy’s frown returned, and so did Nico’s. “Why won’t you smile?”

Percy shook his head and wiped took some napkins from the bartender to wipe his shoes, which miraculously were the only things wet, thank goodness. “Nico, what are you doing here? Don’t you have a boyfriend? And why are you drunk?” he asked, not bothering to look up at Nico. He seemed too gloomy and sad.

Even while drunk, Nico couldn’t say that he was fake dating Will Solace. Percy should be jealous of Nico’s ‘relationship’ just as Nico was of his. “What? Are you jealous I can get guys to dance with me?” he asked. That stupid, stupid thought made him suddenly angry. “Are you saying I can’t be happy?”

Percy looked up with huge eyes and a head shake. “No, no, no! It’s just … it seems like you’re cheating on Will. Are you not happy with him or something?” he asked.

What was that all about? Why was Percy worried about Nico’s romantic life? As if he cared. But Nico decided to change to course of the conversation, and let it aim at Percy. “The real question is: why are _you_ here? You have a boyfriend too.”

Percy eyed him for a second and then looked down at his fingers which he was fidgeting with. “Had a fight.”

“Why?”

Percy shrugged. “Doesn’t matter.” He looked up once again at Nico with worried eyes. He held Nico’s arm and stood. Naturally, Nico would’ve pulled away from the touch, but now he felt so good with Percy holding his arm so gently. “You’re too drunk. Let me get you home.”

Okay, now Nico pulled away. “I don’t wanna go home!” he whined like a child. “Please! I just want to dance! Oh! Oh! Dance with me!” he suggested as he jumped up and down. He started tugging at Percy’s arm, but Percy wouldn’t budge.

“I’m serious, Nico. You’re actually fine with me touching you, your voice is more cheerful, and your breath smells like alcohol. And it’s very strong. You really need to go home and rest. This is not good for you!” Nico merely blinked. It was taking him time to process the information. And even after he was done, he realized that even if he reacted, it would be too late and awkward.

Percy, being tired and impatient, started pulling Nico as he stood up. Nico shook his head. “No, please!”

Percy pouted at him and the other boy grumbled in defeat. This always worked, even when they were teenagers. He walked with him slowly for a while until Percy wrapped his arm around Nico’s arms only from the back so he wouldn’t fall or stumble.

Nico blushed, but he didn’t really care that he felt heat in his cheeks. Instead, he dismissed it and mumbled, saying, “That feels really warm and nice. Like a pillow. Hmmmm.” He closed his eyes as he thought about it. His mind wandered to his bed, which instantly made his head move to rest on something – Percy’s shoulder. It didn’t seem like he minded. Percy just pulled Nico closer. He knew that it was because Nico was less aware of his surroundings, so this was Percy’s way of guiding him through the parking lot, but Nico liked to think of this as Percy actually liking him. “You know, I could sleep here.”

From Percy’s neck movement, Nico could tell he was shaking his head. It felt so weird, feeling the bones move. How would his move? He tried it and put a hand on his neck. That only made Percy chuckle. “Come on. You can sleep in the car, Ghost King.”

That reminded him that since Nico was drunk, Percy would be the one driving them in his own car. And once he got in, he felt great satisfaction. But he was worried about his car, too. “Will you get McQueen, too?” he asked sleepily.

“McQueen?” Percy’s curious voice asked.

“My car. I call him Lightning McQueen. ‘Cause he’s red.  But shhh! That’s a secret! I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone. So embarrassing,” Nico whispered.

There was quite a pause before Percy started the engine and drove. During that time, Nico had fallen asleep from all the exhaustion. He didn’t drink just till he felt unable to stand. No, he had danced and talked to guys, trying to get him mind off of Percy. Of course, that hadn’t worked, and only ended up with him like this.

Meanwhile, Percy let out a breath. Why was Nico doing this to himself? Was he depressed again? He thought that Nico was over that years ago. Maybe he wasn’t depressed. Maybe he was unhappy with Will? When he asked him about this, Nico had changed the subject, and that seemed strange. Was Nico cheating on him? Percy felt so stupid. Why else would he come here, then? To flirt with guys, of course. Yet again, Percy only came here to get a drink. But again, he wanted a drink because he felt so incomplete with Clovis. Like something was missing. He didn’t know what it was, really. He just hoped it would be solved soon.

In a few minutes, Percy found himself in front of Nico and Hazel’s house. He didn’t want to wake the smaller boy up, so he went to the backseats and lifted Nico up bridal style.

Though as he walked to the door to ring the doorbell, he felt Nico move slightly in his arms. “Mmm. Percy.”

“Shhh! Go to sleep,” he whispered to him.

Nico didn’t hesitate to nod and let himself dream.

In seconds, Hazel opened the door, a surprised look on her face. “Oh, Percy!” she said in a low voice. “W-What happened?”

That was fast. It made sense since she was a worried small sister, but it kind of amused him. In his head, he imagined her sitting near the door, looking at it every minute and wondering when Nico would get back home. And when she’d see Nico enter, she’d run towards him and hug him. Though that was probably inaccurate, it didn’t fail to make him smile. He wished he had a little sister like her.

“He’s too drunk. Had to get him back or he’d end up doing God knows what,” he said in the same tone as hers. He looked at him again. While awake, he looked very tired and sad. But when he slept, Nico looked very innocent and peaceful. Almost like how a child would be.

When he looked at Hazel, he could see something shine in her golden eyes for a second before it disappeared. “Well, his room is the first one on the left upstairs. If you need any help, tell me.”

Percy nodded and then went upstairs, following her instructions and going to the first room on the left. The room was dark but he could see a few details from the lighting in the streets outside. The room was black, just as Percy expected. There was a black-colored bed, black desk, black-and-white closet, and … well, black. But there was a hint of colors here and there. There was a painting of a window, over-looking a nice view of a blooming garden and a soft, blue sky. And beside his bed was a hanger that had different colored clothes. He didn’t know that Nico owned things other than black. That, in itself, surprised him.

Percy pulled down the covers and put Nico on the bed. Then, carefully, he took off his shoes, but that only made Nico wake up, blinking as he tried to process where he was. “Percy?” he asked before he lifted his head up slightly. He smiled. “You’re so sweet, Percy. Putting me on bed. Lifting me up,” he muttered, still seeming sleepy. “Like a bride.”

Percy sighed and covered Nico with the blanket. “Nico, you really need to sleep. It’s getting late.”

Nico laughed. “Like a bride,” he repeated. “As if we’re married.”

Percy wanted to insist on him sleeping, but hearing that sentence being spoken so casually made him freeze and look at Nico with an open mouth. “What?” he whispered out.

Nico just looked at him with a smile. A dreamy smile, to be exact. “I wish we were married. That would be nice.”

Percy took in a deep breath before he blinked and made himself go back a few steps. He needed to get out. Was this drunk speaking, or was Nico accidentally saying things he already was thinking of when sober?

“Where are you going, Percy?” The boy looked so sad, as if he was going to cry. No, Percy realized that he _was_ going to cry. “Don’t go! I need you!”

Percy rushed over to his side, not caring about what he just heard. His friend was about to cry while he was drunk. He wasn’t going to let that happen. “Hey, hey. It’s okay.”

Nico nodded and wiped at his eyes, but his frown still remained. “So you’ll stay until I sleep?” he asked in such an innocent, child-like voice that it was hard saying no.

Percy sighed then nodded. “Yeah, of course,” he said and pulled for himself a chair to sit on. The smaller boy was smiling again. He closed his eyes, and it appeared that he was going to sleep now. But just in case he wasn’t, Percy decided to stay for a bit more.

Smiling, Percy realized how cute Nico was when he wasn’t frowning. His facial expressions were soft. It was nice to see. And his hair was all over the place that it almost made him chuckle. He moved one hair away from his face. That simple move made Nico move, and Percy was scared he woke him up.

“Hmm, Percy?” he asked, opening his eyes.

Percy made a _shhh_ noise and stroked his hair again. “Go back to sleep.”

“I wasn’t sleeping in the first place,” Nico muttered. “But I need to ask you something.”

Despite the fact that Percy didn’t want Nico to exhaust himself, he still wanted to hear what he had to say. It seemed important. “What is it?” he asked.

“Why are you with Clovis?” The question caught him off guard. Why was Nico asking that? He didn’t expect him to, anyway. To be fair, Nico kept a lot of things buried inside. Maybe this was one of those things.

“Because I like him? Because he’s attractive? Why does it matter?” he asked.

“You shouldn’t be with him! You should be with me,” Nico said a bit louder.

Percy removed his hand and stared at Nico. Wait, Nico wanted to be with Percy? Did that mean he liked him? But that didn’t make sense at all. Well, maybe it did, but Percy deserved the right to deny this until he could admit it.

But now it all made sense. The looks Nico gave him when he thought Percy wasn’t aware. The eyes that avoided looking at Percy whenever he was with Clovis. The blushes, the smiles – they weren’t just friendly. They were affectionate. Since when was this? Was this recent? Or did it happen in high school?

“You like me?” Percy whispered, almost not believing it.

Nico nodded, looking at his as if he was stupid. Like he should’ve noticed this before. And he had really ought to. “You’re really handsome, and strong, and considerate. People think you’re dumb, but I don’t. I know you’re smart. I also like your sense of humor.” He chuckled.

Percy just stared at the boy, not able to process this. He had to lean back against the chair to stop his head from spinning. How did he just know about this? “But you have Will,” he whispered, trying to come up with anything that’ll disapprove of this, but it wouldn’t work. He knew it.

“I don’t like Will like that, okay?” he said. “I like you!” He frowned, obviously not satisfied with this. “Whatever. You don’t like me. I get it.”

Percy shook his head, wondering how things went from one direction to another. “No, no! Nico, it’s not that. This is just new to me.”

Too late, though. He couldn’t reason with him apparently because by giving Percy his back, he understood that Nico didn’t want to talk or see him. If he was stubborn while sober, then he was more stubborn drunk. “Get out of my room,” he whispered.

Percy wanted to stay, ask questions, figure out what this meant, but he also didn’t want to anger Nico. He got scary when he was pissed off. So Percy got up from his chair, his mind still spinning from all of this, but he forced himself to move to the door even though it felt wrong to do this.

“Good night,” he whispered in a barely audible voice.

He stepped out of the room, so, so confused. Oh, this wasn’t how he thought the reunion with Nico would be. Maybe he should relax now. Go home, take a bubble bath and temporarily forget about this.

Though as he went down and saw the worried Hazel, he felt instantly guilty. It was as if hurting Nico was the same as hurting Hazel. It probably was. And Percy never really wanted to hurt her. She was so sweet and innocent. She deserved better. Thinking about it again, Nico deserved better too. He deserved to have a guy better than Percy. He deserved someone who wouldn’t say no to him, even though it was hard to do so.

“How’s Nico?” Hazel asked. “No, actually, how drunk was he?”

Percy shrugged at both questions. He wasn’t willing to answer the question about how Nico was. He couldn’t force his lips to move so he could say what he had done and hurt Hazel in the process. So he moved to the second question. “I don’t know. A lot is all I know.”

Hazel nodded and sighed. “Well, thanks for bringing him here. I know he’d appreciate that when he wakes up.” If only she knew.

Percy only nodded and walked past her, quickly saying his goodbye and leaving the house. He needed to be as far away from it for the moment. He needed to relax and then think about this. The bubble bath sounded great right now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I hope you liked this chapter even though I made you wait loooooong for this. I apologize for that, guys!  Also, I was in absolutely NO mood to revise this, so I apologize for my mistakes or awkward sentences.
> 
> Also … who’s excited for The Trials of Apollo?! Woooo! I’m very effing excited, though I’d have to wait a bit longer since the books take a while to get here in Dubai. Booo! 
> 
> Well, I’ll try to write more frequently now. Also, thank you lovely people for reading and being patient! Ciao!  
> Until next time…
> 
> -mbav54

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you guys like this. I personally enjoyed writing it. Kudos and comments are much appreciated! Thank you for reading!  
> Until next time…  
> -TEM


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